We cannot afford a 14,500-strong force. Greater civilianisation of the service, freeing up officers for frontline duties, is the way to address any shortfall

G
ardai rarely pass up the opportunity to conduct investigations into the leaking of sensitive documents to the media, and yet we do not expect an inquiry into how an internal memo about staffing levels found its way to RTE last week. The supposedly confidential report suggested that 6% of garda stations could be left without sergeants, such is the current pace of retirements from the force.

The garda leaker achieved what he presumably set out to do: prompt inflamed comments from garda representative organisations and newspaper leader writers. The Garda Representative Association reacted to news that 1,200 officers may leave the force over the next six months by describing the depletion of the force as “reckless endangerment”. In reality, the only recklessness was the nature of the language used by this excitable body.

Our garda force is too big. As with every part of the public sector, it became engorged